Virginia made no answer, and the ghost wrung his hands
in wild despair as he looked down at her bowed golden
head. Suddenly she stood up, very pale, and with
a strange light in her eyes. “I am not afraid,”
she said firmly, “and I will ask the angel to
have mercy on you.”
He rose from his seat with a faint cry of joy, and
taking her hand bent over it with old-fashioned grace
and kissed it. His fingers were as cold as ice,
and his lips burned like fire, but Virginia did not
falter, as he led her across the dusky room.
On the faded green tapestry were broidered little
huntsmen. They blew their tasselled horns and
with their tiny hands waved to her to go back.
“Go back! little Virginia,” they cried,
“go back!” but the ghost clutched her hand
more tightly, and she shut her eyes against them.
Horrible animals with lizard tails and goggle eyes
blinked at her from the carven chimneypiece, and murmured,
“Beware! little Virginia, beware! we may never
see you again,” but the Ghost glided on more
swiftly, and Virginia did not listen. When they
reached the end of the room he stopped, and muttered
some words she could not understand. She opened
her eyes, and saw the wall slowly fading away like
a mist, and a great black cavern in front of her.
A bitter cold wind swept round them, and she felt
something pulling at her dress. “Quick,
quick,” cried the Ghost, “or it will be
too late,” and in a moment the wainscoting had
closed behind them, and the Tapestry Chamber was empty.
[Illustration: “Theghostglidedonmoreswiftly”]
VI
About ten minutes later, the bell rang for tea, and,
as Virginia did not come down, Mrs. Otis sent up one
of the footmen to tell her. After a little time
he returned and said that he could not find Miss Virginia
anywhere. As she was in the habit of going out
to the garden every evening to get flowers for the
dinner-table, Mrs. Otis was not at all alarmed at
first, but when six o’clock struck, and Virginia
did not appear, she became really agitated, and sent
the boys out to look for her, while she herself and
Mr. Otis searched every room in the house. At
half-past six the boys came back and said that they
could find no trace of their sister anywhere.
They were all now in the greatest state of excitement,
and did not know what to do, when Mr. Otis suddenly
remembered that, some few days before, he had given
a band of gipsies permission to camp in the park.
He accordingly at once set off for Blackfell Hollow,
where he knew they were, accompanied by his eldest
son and two of the farm-servants. The little
Duke of Cheshire, who was perfectly frantic with anxiety,
begged hard to be allowed to go too, but Mr. Otis
would not allow him, as he was afraid there might be
a scuffle. On arriving at the spot, however,
he found that the gipsies had gone, and it was evident
that their departure had been rather sudden, as the
